Causitas (a trio of traditional Peruvian whipped potatos) at Latin Bites at 5709 Woodway near Chimney Rock on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, in Houston. Latin Bites, the much acclaimed Peruvian cafe that earned great foodie allegiance over the past couple of years, got too small for its wee space in downtown Houston. Two weeks ago, the restaurant made a leap to a bigger store and quite far from its original stomping grounds. Latin Bites occupies the former home of Rockwood Room. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle ) less

Causitas (a trio of traditional Peruvian whipped potatos) at Latin Bites at 5709 Woodway near Chimney Rock on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, in Houston. Latin Bites, the much acclaimed Peruvian cafe that earned great ... more

Today chef Roberto Castre of Houston’s Latin Bites Café made this short announcement on Facebook: “Last day in Houston!!!”

So what’s the story on the chef who elevated his national Peruvian cuisine at one of the top restaurants in the city?

Castre is headed to Washington, DC, where he will helm a new, modern Peruvian restaurant called Nazca Mochica at 1633 P St., NW, in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. That restaurant, which will feature some of the signature dishes at Latin Bites, is expected to open in October, Castre said.

“I’m really excited. I really like that city,” said Castre, who said he’s been working hard on the new project. Nazca Mochica (the name refers to the Nazca and Mochica cultures of Peru) will feature a pisco bar with tapas and ceviche on the first floor called Mochica; the second floor called Nazca will be a more formal dining room.

“What I’m going to try to do is take the Peruvian kitchen to another level,” Castre said. There also is a third floor for private dining and events.

Castre and his sister, Rita Castre Dyer, and her husband, Carlos Ramos are partners in Latin Bites. They’re also partners along with Houston investors who persuaded Castre to move to Washington to open the restaurant.

Dyer said that operations at Latin Bites will remain the same. Ramos, who was the restaurant’s beverage manager, has been training with Castre to take over the kitchen as chef. He has actually been in charge of the kitchen since the beginning of the month, said Dyer, who is the restaurant’s general manager.

Both Castre and Dyer said that the chef’s move to Washington is temporary and that he intends to return to Houston. Castre doesn’t know how long it will take for him to feel Nazca Mochica is well grounded enough for him to return to Houston. But there’s reason enough for him to come back: they’re planning to open a second Latin Bites restaurant in Katy. That project should come next year, Castre said.

Latin Bites began as a catering business in Houston that eventually begat a sit-down restaurant in a Warehouse District spot that opened in August 2010 with only 40 seats scattered among a handful of tables. But the food that Roberto Castre was creating was so inventive and flavorful that Houston immediately bit on Bites. Since its initial reviews, the humble, BYOB restaurant was booked every night with reservations necessary weeks in advance.

It soon became clear to the partners that they needed a larger space. So Latin Bites took its biggest leap recently by relocating to a 115-seat space at 5709 Woodway that was the former Rockwood Room.